Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has sent a letter to Gov. George
Pataki calling on him to meet with President George W. Bush to ensure
New York State receives immediately the federal funds necessary to help
rebuild lower Manhattan.

In the letter, Silver cites efforts to work with the governor in fashioning
a request for federal aid to assist the state and New York City in
recovering from the terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center
on September 11.

"The Assembly has shared its vision of how we should move forward by
introducing a sweeping disaster relief package to assist victims and rebuild
lower Manhattan. The state's congressional delegation has been aggressively
seeking federal relief," Silver writes.

"Now is the time for you to join the state's congressional delegation,
labor, business and community leaders, Senator Bruno and myself to push the
House leadership on attaining the necessary funds to rebuild New York,"
Silver continues.

"Now is the time for you to put forth your specific plan to rebuild
lower Manhattan. We must not repeat some of the past missteps. It is time
to work together for the good of all New Yorkers. We need your voice to
join the chorus of others as we press the Congress and president to meet our
needs," the letter states.

Honorable George E. Pataki
Governor of New York
Executive Chamber
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224-0341

Dear Governor Pataki:

The future prosperity of New York City and State demands that
all of the state's leaders work together. At this critical moment,
we cannot afford to allow differences to interfere with the
monumental task of rebuilding our economy in the wake of September
11th.

In my own effort to put politics aside and work together, I
reached out to you in early October to discuss the Assembly's
vision for rebuilding New York City. You subsequently, with no
input from the Assembly, released your own $54 billion federal
relief request.

New York City leaders, state legislators and members of the
Congressional delegation of both parties were surprised by your
unilateral request for aid. The request - which included numerous
items outside the disaster area - set back our efforts to secure
federal aid. Had New York's leaders presented a united front from
the start, we would be in a much better position to maximize the
federal help New York desperately needs.

I tried again to get a firm commitment from you during our
negotiations of the Liberty and Resurgence Zone legislation.
However, you refused to detail the state's commitment to the
revitalization effort until the federal response was clear.
Since the amount of federal aid remains in doubt weeks later,
we continue to lack a clear strategy for rebuilding the city.

Your policies have left the people and businesses of New York City
confused. They are desperately trying to get on with the task of
rebuilding their lives and businesses. They need answers now. The
longer they wait for a firm commitment from the state and federal
government, the more New York City stands to lose. Without a coherent
reconstruction plan, many of the people and businesses that make Manhattan
the financial center of the world will undoubtedly leave the city. In fact,
some are already in the process of leaving.

The Assembly has shared its vision of how we should move forward by
introducing a sweeping disaster relief package to assist victims and rebuild
lower Manhattan. The state's Congressional delegation has been aggressively
seeking federal relief. Now is the time for you to rejoin the effort and
work with the state's Congressional delegation; labor, business and
community leaders; Senator Bruno; and myself to push the House leadership on
attaining the necessary funds to rebuild New York. Now is the time for you
to put forth your specific plan to rebuild lower Manhattan.

We must not repeat some of the past missteps. It is time to work together
for the good of all New Yorkers. We need your voice to join the chorus of
others as we press the Congress and President to meet our needs.